


Hey, One Question: What The Hell

by TheInkist



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Attempted Rape, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Multi, Panic Attack, Post-Venom (Movie 2018), Reader is a Minor, Reader-Insert, Reader/Eddie (platonic), Sarcasm, She/her pronouns, Swearing, Very Slight AU, fem reader - Freeform, kind of a weird uncle/big bro relationship, mild body horror, nothing happens though, possessive symbiote, spoilers for the movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-08-14 03:17:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16484978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheInkist/pseuds/TheInkist
Summary: This was not your day. Punched in the face, body-snatched by a pile of alien goop, had a run-in with the Demon of San Francisco...nope. Today was definitely not your day.





	1. Grumpy Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, saw this movie a few weeks ago and honestly, it was so good I had to write something.  
> Kindly given critiques are always welcome, and thank you for reading! :)
> 
> Reader is somewhere between the ages of 15-17, it’s up to you.
> 
> Key:  
> Reader thoughts: in italics  
> Symbiote mentally speaking: in bold  
> Symbiote speaking aloud: ALL CAPS (if reader yells or anything, I’ll do my best to make it clear exactly who is speaking. If it’s confusing, let me know.)

You had been living on the streets for almost a month when it found you.

***  
It was a beautiful day. You woke up (unfortunately), fed some pigeons, had an existential crisis, dodged questions from some well-meaning couple, ate a sandwich and ended up here. In your favorite alley. (Note high levels of sarcasm.) You may not have liked it, but it was close to the Rolling Pin, a bakery where you washed dishes and mopped spilled flour two evenings every week.

“Kids these days. Pathetic.” The mans disgust rolled over you as he strode by, voice just loud enough that only you heard. “Get a fucking job.”

You gritted your teeth, biting back a retort. Barely. The last time someone said something along those lines, you’d spat something about how ‘they should follow their own advice and move out of their mom’s basement. As immensely satisfying as defending yourself had been, it wasn’t worth the kick and bruised/cracked ribs that were the result. So instead you wrapped your arms a little tighter around yourself and stewed darkly about what you’d like to do that asshole. Maybe pick off his fingernails and pull out his annoyingly white teeth.

You sighed, tipping your head back till it connected with the stained-by-God-knows-what alley wall. When the day bled into evening, you slung your backpack over your shoulder and headed towards the shop.

The bell tinkled merrily as you stepped through the door, taking a deep breath of the incredible smells and feeling the tension drain from your shoulders. The sweetest old lady you had ever met turned around at the sound of the bell over the door, her smile crinkling the corners of her eyes.

“Ah (y/n), right on time, as always.”

Susannah, or ‘gramma Suzy’, as she was affectionately known by her employees, was an angel sent to bless humankind with her baking. Seriously. She once got accused of putting pot in her brownies, because they were ‘too good to be legal’. (Of course there wasn’t any pot in the brownies. It was in the surprise cupcakes.) But every Monday and Friday she needed a little extra help around the shop, and there was always plenty of odd jobs for you.

It didn’t hurt that you always left with a bag of day-olds and misshapen rolls.

Suzy drew you in for a hug that smelled faintly of vanilla and left a dusting of flour when she pulled away, eying you critically. “I hope you’re gettin’ enough food, dear. You’re all skin and bones.”

You shrugged, quirking a smile. “I manage.”

“Hmph.” She didn’t look convinced, but let it drop. "Grab yourself a muffin or somethin’ on your way to the back.”

You grinned your thanks, snatching a broken blueberry muffin as you dropped your bag in a corner of the kitchen and grabbed the broom.  
  
***

The scent of spoiled milk and day-old takeout filled your nostrils as you stepped out the back door of the bakery, nose wrinkling at the stench. Despite the dumpster that smelled like someone (or multiple someones) had died in it, between several ten dollar bills in your pocket and a bag of day-olds in your backpack, things were looking up. Of course that was the precise moment the the universe decided to shit spectacularly all over your day. How rude.

A heavy hand landed on your shoulder and a breath that reeked of alcohol fanned the side of your face as a voice slurred next to your ear. “You look li' you could use a good time, huh? Whaddya say?”

There was a jolt of fear, but you were more pissed and tired than anything else. _Fucking really? Could he open with anything more stereotypical?_

“Look buddy,” you sighed, “I’ve had a decent day for once. I even had a muffin. Just fuck off and leave me alone. Please.”

To your surprise, the hand lifted. You turned around in surprise, only to have a fist become intimately acquainted with your right eye. It was a sloppy punch, and if it wasn’t for the large ring he was wearing, it probably wouldn’t have done much damage. Instead, it sent you reeling, pain shooting through your skull as your bag dropped to the ground. Creepy Dude grabbed your collar and shoved you up against aforementioned dumpster, bloodshot eyes glaring at you blearily from a face that hadn’t seen a razor in weeks and a washcloth in even longer.

“Wha’, you think you’re too good, bitch? Is tha’ it?” You found your voice enough to scream before he clapped his hand over your mouth, the other moving from your shoulder to your neck and starting to squeeze. You squirmed, but he was bigger and you were starting to feel lightheaded from lack of oxygen. Just as you decided you were toast, the heavens opened and an angel armed with a flaming sword descended. Well, what it actually was was gramma Suzy bursting through the grimy side door, armed with 5’3 inches of righteous fury and a rolling pin. But details.

Creepy Dude wasn’t fast enough and got a very solid crack to the back of his head. He let go of you with an undignified yelp, clutching his head and receiving another hard whack on his knee that sent him limping away.

“Are you alright, dear? You’re bleeding.” You flinched as her hand brushed your cheek where his ring broke your skin. _Huh_. You hadn’t noticed it before, but when you tentatively prodded it your fingers came away red. And you could already feel the skin around your eye tightening as it swelled.

Suzy handed you your dropped bag and shooed you back into the shop, sitting you down at a table with the first-aid kit from under the sink. She handed you a tea-towel filled with ice for your eye and tilted your head to the side, running a warm cloth over the cut to wipe away the blood. You gritted your teeth against the sting of the hydrogen peroxide, trying to focus on the cold of the ice on your developing shiner as she bandaged up the cut.

Little was said, but you communicated everything you needed to through a long, hard hug and several profuse thanks-you’s.

***

It was almost dark when you got back to where you usually slept, tucked into a corner between a dumpster and a wall. Warm and comfortable? Hell no. But it was safer than in the bushes or a bench, and the light spilling from a nearby street lamp gave you a good view of anyone approaching. You curled up, resting your head on your bag. Tired as you were, even on the cold ground you dozed off in a few minutes.

You jolted awake what felt like a few hours later, pulse racing and eyes straining to see what made the noise that woke you. You relaxed slightly when you realized it was only an old lady wobbling by, tiny and wrinkled. She was moving oddly, but you chalked it up to drugs or age. Harmless or not, you slowly leaned in front of your stuff, tucking your legs in. You felt a spike of fear as a she looked at you, something about it just… wrong. Inhuman, almost.

She sniffed the air, a slow, serial-killer grin spreading over her face. You had slowly been standing up, but froze at the predatory expression.

“WELL HELLO THERE.”

You barely managed to avoid peeing yourself at the guttural voice, some deep-set animal instinct screaming at you to _get the fuck out of there_. You made a move to do exactly that, and would have succeeded had she not shot forward, slamming you against the wall with an inhuman strength.

You froze when she started to convulse, panic spiking as an oily blue-black substance bubbled up from under her skin. You struggled harder kicking at her to no avail as the stuff oozed down her arms and onto yours. She stumbled away, falling to the ground with a thump as a shriek clawed at your throat, barely held back. You scratched frantically at the goo, but it only parted around your fingers, leaving behind a tingle as it crawled upwards.

When it sank into your chest, you finally lost the battle and screamed.

 


	2. Now Would Be A Good Time To Be Anyone But Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the feedback, it means the world to me!

_What in the FUCK was that._

Sweat beaded your forehead despite the cool night air, a raw panic welling up and threatening to take over as you clawed frantically at your chest. You didn’t realize you were crying till something wet splattered onto your arm, drawing you out of the haze of fear long enough to notice that you had gouged several stinging red stripes across your chest. A pins-and-needles feeling spread out from where it had burrowed under your skin, radiating across your torso and down your arms. You could feel it moving, settling into muscles and around organs.

Almost-black veins wove across your hands just under the skin and they froze, hovering a few inches away from your damaged skin.

 _What the hell?_ You tried to move them, but it was like they had disconnected from your brain. Your knees gave out and you slid down the wall, tears coming faster as you continued to struggle against whatever was keeping you from moving your hands. You were shaking like a leaf, on the verge of a panic attack when you heard it.

**Calm down. Your cortisol and adrenaline levels are high.**

You jumped, slamming your head into the wall as your eyes frantically darted around, looking for the source. _What the HELL was that._ The voice was dark and low and decidedly not human. A constant stream of _shit shit shit this is bad_ swirled frantically through your head. The back of your skull throbbed, but you barely noticed it as your breathing dissolved into rasping gasps, black spots crowding the edges of your vision as the panic finally won out.

Just as you started to drop into unconsciousness, something moved under your skin and you could breathe again. Somehow, your lungs were drawing in air on their own, even though you should probably be happily unconscious at this point. You slowly sat up, relived to find you could move your hands again. Wincing at the ache on the back of your head, you reached back to poke it, but instead of hair you got a handful of slime. _What the-_

You yanked your hand back with a yelp as a sharp pain lanced through your index finger, blood bubbling out of what looked like a tiny bite mark. There was pulse and the darkness oozed out of your pores, covering the the tip of your finger and the cut.

**Stop poking. It’s annoying.**

You barely choked back a scream, a wave of fear rising as you started struggling again, trying to stand but failing as whatever you had been body-snatched by kept you sitting firmly against the wall. The tingling numb feeling spread past your chest, winding down your outstretched legs and up your neck.

**I meant it when I said calm down, (y/n). If I were going to hurt you, I would have done it already.**

“H-how am I supposed to calm down!? What even are you and why can’t I move an-“ you froze. “And how the hell do you know my name?”

**I’m in our head, dumbass.**

“You-you’re in my head?” You did your best to ignore the ‘our’, relieved to find you could move slightly as you shifted your weight, trying to quell your terror. “Please don’t eat my brain.”

It chuckled. **Why would we do that? Fully compatible hosts are rare and it would be a pity to waste one.**

“Uh… host?” _Well that’s not creepy._ “So are you like, a paras-” you were cut off when something warm and vaguely damp slapped across the lower half of your face. There was a squishing sound, a warm, pulling-away feeling on your chest, and all you could see were blank eyes and a grinning mouthful of teeth that was pulled straight from a child’s nightmare.

_Oh. My. GOD._

The stench of blood rolled across your nose as it spoke.“I AM _NOT_ A PARASITE. DON’T BE RUDE.” If you weren’t petrified, you might have laughed at the thing that had taken up residence in you scolding you for being rude. As it was, the best you could muster was a muffled whimper.

Whatever was gagging you pulled away, allowing you to speak. “What-what the _fuck_ are you?”

“I AM HAVOC. AND YOU ARE MINE.” It narrowed what looked like eyes, cocking its head like it was thinking. “BUT IF YOU WANTED TO GET INTO THE SPECIFICS, YOU COULD CALL US A SYMBIOTE.”

“Wait wait wait,” you protested, “I’m yours? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I CANNOT SURVIVE IN YOUR WORLDS ATMOSPHERE WITHOUT ASSISTANCE. YOUR BIOLOGY IS COMPATIBLE WITH MINE. IT IS NOT A DIFFICULT CONCEPT TO GRASP.”

“But I don’t want this!” Your stomach was churning, bile rising in your throat as you grasped the meaning of its words. “You have to let me go. Please. I-I don’t want to be a host or whatever.” A mantra of _'no no no no this can’t be happening this is NOT happening maybe I’m just having a nightmare and it’ll all be over when I wake up’_ looped through your head as you started struggling anew. All you succeeded in was exhausting yourself after a few minutes, sagging weakly against the wall, your cheeks stained with tears for the second time that night as it looked on dispassionately.

It-no, Havoc, leaned forward, almost touching your forehead with its own. “YOU WILL GROW TO ACCEPT IT. AND IF YOU DON’T, THAT IS NONE OF MY CONCERN.” You shuddered as a long, prehensile tongue slipped out of its toothy maw and wiped the tears from your cheeks. “WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, WE ARE BONDED, AND YOU ARE MINE.”

You choked back a sob as it licked your cheek again, tongue rough on your skin as it left a sticky trail of moisture that smelled of death. “But-”

“YOU DON’T WANT IT, SO YOU’VE SAID. AND WE ARE HAPPY TO CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION LATER, BUT RIGHT NOW WE’RE HUNGRY. NEED TO HUNT.”

“Hunt? What do you mean by hunt?”

Warmth crawled up your neck, burrowing into the skin at the base of your skull. You could almost feel something in your head, poking around before you sagged weakly, all the fight leaving you as your eyelids drooped, words slurring. “Wha’ did you do to me?”

“I STIMULATED YOUR PINEAL GLAND, CAUSING YOUR BRAIN TO RELEASE MELATONIN. YOU NEED SLEEP, I NEED TO HUNT. MULTITASKING IS GOOD.”

You tried to protest, but your mouth wouldn’t work. You were so tired you almost didn’t notice it spiraling down your legs and up over your head. In the space of a few seconds you were enveloped in what felt vaguely like slime. The faint shreds of panic tugged at the edges of your mind, but the urge to sleep was stronger and the comforting darkness pulled you under and out of a world that no longer made sense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not sure why, but it bugs me when people try to fit dialogue from a movie into a fic. I did pretty much copy one line from the movie, only because I couldn’t find a better way to word it. If you have a suggestion for a better way to say it, I’m open to ideas!


	3. I May Have Killed A Guy

The sound of birdsong and an odd metallic taste on your tongue woke you. Eyes still closed, you laid there for a moment, enjoying the absence of people and traffic sounds. _This is nice. I should sleep in the park more often._ Wait… park?

In an instant the events of the previous night rushed back and you shot up, frantically trying to remember how you got here. “Oh shit.”

There was a warm pulling-away feeling from your hip, and the face from last night loomed up like a snake from a charmer’s basket. It was in constant motion, light glinting off a blue that was almost black as it hovered at eye-level with you, tongue lolling out and reminding you oddly of a puppy. Y’know, if puppies had a more teeth than piranha and were made out of gravity-defying slime.

“GOOD MORNING.”

You spluttered for something to say, finally settling on a squeaky “uh, you too?” _Huh. It’s not as scary in daylight._

“WE HAVE A NAME, YOU KNOW.”

You stared blankly. “…what?”

Nothing about the face changed, but you got the distinct feeling that it rolled its eyes. “WE TOLD YOU LAST NIGHT, DUMBASS. HOW YOU HUMANS HAVE SURVIVED THIS LONG IS TRULY A WONDER OF NATURE.”

You wracked your brain for anything resembling a name, but the events of last night were a jumbled haze of panic. No, wait. “Um… is it Havoc?”

The grin widened. “SO YOU’RE NOT UTTERLY INCOMPETENT AFTER ALL.”

You were starting to bristle at the constant insults from the thing that had taken up residence in your body, debating the consequences of punching it. Until you got another look at the maw bristling with teeth and decided it would be a very, very bad idea. “So, um, Havoc. How did I get out here? In the park?"

“WE WANTED SOMEWHERE QUIET TO CONSUME OUR PREY. YOUR CITIES ARE SO FULL OF NOISE, THEY ARE VERY UNPLEASANT.”

“Oh.” You cleared your throat. “What kind of prey?”

“A SMALL FURRY CREATURE THAT MADE RUDE NOISES AT US. AND A FEW STRAY HUMANS.”

“Wait, WHAT!?” Your stomach churned, the metallic taste in your mouth suddenly nauseating as you scrambled to your feet. “You ate someone?”

“YES. MULTIPLE SOMEONES.”

“I’m gonna be sick.”

You bent over to retch, but something clamped down on your esophagus and you ended up dry-heaving for several agonizing minutes.

“WHY WOULD YOU EMPTY YOUR STOMACH? WE WORKED HARD TO FIND FOOD, WE NEED ENERGY.”

You leaned shakily back against a tree, wiping saliva from your lip. “Because it-because people don’t just eat other people. It’s wrong.” _I am not going all Pennywise just because I’ve been possessed by a lump of murderous custard._

“WE CAN HEAR YOU THINKING, YOU KNOW. WHAT IS A PENNYWISE?” It ran its tongue over the mouthful of needle teeth. “IT SOUNDS TASTY.”

“Ugh.” You groaned, running your hands through your hair. “Nevermind. Point is, you can’t eat people.”

“NOT AN OPTION.”

“Why?” You felt what was almost the mental equivalent of a shrug.

“TASTY. ESPECIALLY THE GREY BIT INSIDE THEIR HEAD.” It shivered happily.

 _Oh, GREAT. It’s basically a glorified slimy zombie. That’s just fan-fucking-tastic._ “Look, you might think they’re tasty, but you can’t eat people. It’s not right.” You took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I won’t let you.”

“AND HOW DO YOU INTEND TO STOP US?”

“I-I…” An awful lump of dread settled in your stomach as you looked at the ground. It-she was right. You were effectively a prisoner in your own body. When you glanced up, the face had moved closer and on reflex, you batted it away. Or, tried to. When your hand connected, it just… stopped. You frantically tugged at it, but it stuck as solidly as the time you accidentally super-glued your hand to a wall when you were little.

A tendril split away from the head, covering your hand and wrist with a slick warmth as it crept up your arm. “WE OWN YOU. EVERY PART.” The face dissolved, blending into the rest of the mass.

You panicked, flashing back to the night before, the same overpowering fear and helplessness turning your blood to ice as the darkness wound over your shoulder. Something looped loosely around your throat and you froze, barely breathing. It didn’t tighten as you expected though, only spread across your chest and down to coat your other arm.

“Okay okay! You can eat some people, okay?” You cringed as your voice cracked on the last word. “Maybe just um, bad people?”

There was no answer but the ooze didn’t spread any farther, just stayed, undulating slightly against your skin. Your eyes had been squeezed tightly shut in anticipation of something painful, like your arms getting eaten or ripped off, but the minutes ticked by and still, nothing happened.

Inhaling shakily, you willed yourself to relax. _I wonder if this is some kind of mind game. Scare me to death maybe? I don’t have much to live for anyway. I hope they have pizza in the afterlife._ You jumped when the voice suddenly cut into your rambling train of thought.

**This is an acceptable arrangement.**

You heaved a sigh of relief. “Okay. Okay, great. Well, not great because y’know, cannibalism. But definitely an improvement.” The goo covering your arms and torso rippled and you managed to not freak out. Barely.

You cleared your throat awkwardly, nodding at your arms. “Hey, uh, can you put this stuff away? It looks kind of creepy.” _Like I’m being eaten by squid ink mixed with blue jello._

A moment later it melted away, dissolving through your pores and back under your skin with a warm goosebumps feeling. “Thanks.”

**You are welcome.**

Pulling leaves out of your hair, you started walking towards the path and (hopefully) the end of the park. “So, where are you from?”

**Why do you ask?**

“I don’t know,” you shrugged. “I just thought we should get to know each other. And I’m curious.”

**We come from another planet.**

_So she's an alien. Huh._ “That’s uh, cool. Why are you here?”

**Our planet was dying. Too many of us, and not enough food.**

“Sounds like a party.” You felt a ripple of… amusement? _Well at least it understands sarcasm._

**It was anything but.**

“Are you alone then?”

**Several others came as well, though we do not know where they are currently. Moving host to host has weakened us and made it difficult to keep track of them.**

“So are you guys like, a family?” You had reached the edge of the park, joining in with the flood of people walking past.

**Our kind does not have relational ties. They are impractical.**

“I guess.” You both were silent for a while as you thought, trying to ignore the small brushes and twitches under your skin. Suddenly you were jerked to a stop, arms flailing as you regained your balance. “What the hell was that for?”

**I can almost smell… there’s something odd about that human over there.**

It took you a second to figure out who it was talking about. He was slumped on a bench, grey hoodie stained and blond hair disheveled as he muttered to himself. “Yeah, he’s talking to himself. Not a strange thing for crazy people to do.”

**Not crazy. It’s something else…**

Almost as if he could sense you were talking about him, the guy looked up, locking eyes with you for a second before looking away and continuing to mumble. You couldn’t put your finger on it, but there was something weird about his eyes. A little too dark. Or maybe you were just being paranoid.

“What did you think it was?”

**Unimportant. We want chocolate.**

“How are you hungry already? I thought you ate like, three people.”

**We are healing. It requires more energy.**

“Healing? Why?”

**We have spent many weeks with incompatible hosts. Bonding with one who is not a match is damaging.**

“Oh. Okay, I’ll see if I can find some chocolate." You smiled at the tingle of approval in the back of your head.

You turned down a narrow street, wondering if you could nick someone’s wallet to pay for the chocolate when you were slammed into the wall by a hulking mass of inky-darkness.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone have an idea for a nickname for Havoc? A lot of people are calling Venom V or Vee, and I can’t think of anything for Havoc.


	4. Let’s NOT Wipe Out Humankind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the lovely comments!  
> I’m so sorry, I know this isn’t a super long chapter but I didn’t want to leave you all hanging forever. I promise more will be happening in the next one! (I hope. If you have any ideas for where this could go, I’d love to hear them.) :)

You barely had time to let out a pained yelp before Havoc surged out of your skin, enveloping you in warmth. A spike of panic prickled the back of your mind as it wrapped over your face and you lost control of your limbs, but you pushed the feeling away. _Not going to hurt me._

It was an odd experience to say the least. Like laying submerged in a lukewarm bath, but you could breathe, and every sensation was… sharper. You could feel the dust and grit on the wall against your back and taste the rotting garbage on the air, even the faint scent of a dog that had slept nearby earlier. All this flashed through your head in an instant, before your attention was drawn back to the thing pinning you to the wall and in desperate need of a breath mint.

“HAVOC,” it hissed. “WE THOUGHT YOU DIED.” It’s voice was different than Havoc’s, more guttural. It also smelled of rotting meat. _Well that's pleasant._

“MORE LIKE HOPED. GLAD TO SEE YOU FOUND A HOST, VENOM. DOES IT MATCH YOUR LEVEL OF IDIOCY?” The thing, Venom, hissed, eyes narrowing at the insult.

 _Wait, you know this guy!?_ You couldn’t move your jaw to speak, but you found you didn’t need to. _I thought you said you didn’t know where any of your… friends were. Also, solid burn._

 **Thank you. And yes, we do know him. Unfortunately.** Havoc rose to her full hight and ended up about eye-level with Venom. Who still had the indignant expression of someone getting beat in a card game by someone half their age.

“RESORTING TO INSULTS, HAVOC? PERHAPS YOU HAVE GROWN WEAK.”

Indignation boiled inside, fiery and pissed-off. “YOU WISH, ASSHOLE.” There was a surge of strength and Havoc shoved Venom off them, hard enough that he left a dent in the opposite wall.

_WOAH. That was cool._

Venom picked himself up off the ground, and looked like he was about to charge when he hesitated, mumbling something. There was a beat of silence before he rolled his eyes, somehow managing to looks long-suffering.

“MY HOST SAYS WE SHOULD NOT BE FIGHTING WHEN THERE ARE ONLY THE TWO OF US ON THIS PLANET.”

You felt a shock of surprise from Havoc. “THE OTHERS HAVE DIED?”

Pride trickled into Venom’s voice. “YES. ED-MY HOST AND I DEFEATED RIOT AND STOPPED HIS PLANS TO TAKE OVER THIS WORLD. AND THE REST PERISHED DURING THE LIFE FOUNDATIONS TESTING.”

“SO THE PLAN TO INHABIT THIS PLANET IS NO LONGER IN MOTION?”

“CORRECT.”

“GOOD.” Havoc grinned. “IT WAS A FUCKING STUPID PLAN.”

_Wait, you were gonna take over the world? When, exactly, were you planning on telling me this?_

**Key word is were. And I would have mentioned it, eventually.** You rolled your eyes.

_Whatever._

Venom shrugged. “STUPID OR NOT, IT IS OVER. WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO NOW THAT WE NO LONGER HAVE A MISSION?”

“NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.” After a moment, Havoc amended, “LEARN. HUMANS ARE… INTERESTING CREATURES. AS- ” she was cut off by a shriek from nearby, Venom perking up at the sound. If you could, you would have laughed at how the movement reminded you of a cat hearing it’s dish being filled.

“WE WILL SEE YOU LATER, HAVOC. HEADS TO EAT, PLACES TO GO, PEOPLE TO… EAT.” And with that ominously disturbing parting statement, Venom was gone, leaping up the wall and vanishing from sight.

Havoc slowly receded under your skin with a tingle, the sudden lack of clarity disorienting for a moment. You stuffed your hands into your pockets and continued in the direction of a small grocery store.

“Well that was interesting.”

**Indeed. Although I am not surprised he is siding against his mission on behalf of a weaker species. Venom always did have more empathy than his littermates.**

“Are you guys siblings?”

 **No. My kind does not have relational ties like yours.** Shepaused, thinking. **Though if they did, we would be considered his... grandparent.**

“Wait WHAT!?” _I’m too young to be a grandma!_

Havoc gave a mental shrug. **It is not at all the same as when one of your kind reproduces. Our offspring can survive on their own from the moment they are spawned, eliminating the need for family units.**

You pondered that for a minute, trying to wrap you head around it when Havoc jerked your head in the direction of a shop across the street. Glossy sweets were spread on displays in the window, glistening in the light. You almost started drooling.

**Chocolate!**

You sighed, pulling yourself away from the sight reluctantly. _We can’t go there_.

**Why?**

_Too expensive._ You had about eight dollars in your pocket, and had been planning on buying a few Hershey bars, or a bag of chocolate chips.

**Dumbass.**

“Hey!” Your outburst earned you a few weird looks, so you stuck to thinking very irritated thoughts at Havoc who was sitting in a sulking lump in the middle of your chest.  _You should be happy you’re getting anything at all. You’re the one who’s living in a rent-free situation here, and I can’t blow all my money on a couple of fancy truffles. Not if you want me to be able to eat._

**Fine.**

You rolled your eyes at the sudden bout of childishness. It was kind of funny, the big scary alien pouting because she wanted chocolate. It was also endearing, in an annoying sort of way. Havoc was silent the whole time you were in the store, buying a few chocolate bars and leaving.

You had scarcely sat down on a bench to enjoy said chocolate when the same hoodie-wearing blond-haired man from earlier plopped down next to you and gave you a familiar toothy grin.

“HELLO AGAIN.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’ve seen a lot of people using they/them in reference to symbiotes because they don’t technically have a gender, but I’ve also seen a lot of people using he/him, she/her pronouns. And in the comics, (from what I understand,) Eddie calls Venom 'it'.  
> I wrote Havoc with the intention of using she/her because a lot of people have symbiotes use the same pronouns as thier host. I’m using 'it' for this chapter, but I’m not the biggest fan (seems dehumanizing) And someone said Havoc seems more masculine.  
> Would you guys think it would be weird if I switched to he/him for Havoc?  
> Edit: I'm switching to she/her, I feel like it fits better.


	5. Huston, I Have So Many Problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to have Havoc be female, simply because it’s canon that symbiotes sometimes adopt the gender of their hosts. Thank you to anyone who gave their opinion, I really appreciate the feedback!
> 
> Also, this next week is show week and I have rehearsal every day till 9:30 pm, so there might not be an update next Wednesday. Sorry, but I’ll try to post an extra long chapter the week after to make up for it! :)

“Venom?” You squinted suspiciously. “Is that you?”

“THE ONE AND ONLY.”

The guy coughed harshly, looking annoyed before he continued in a more normal voice. “Hey, uh, sorry about the whole ‘slamming you into a wall thing. Vee is kinda territorial and apparently he’s decided the entire Earth is his territory or something. Now, I told him to be a little more reasonable, start small, maybe pick one city, but no. It’s always go big or go home with him and-” he stopped short, sticking his hand out. “Sorry, my name’s Eddie. Uh, Brock.”

“(Y/n),” you said, grasping his hand briefly. There was a warm feeling at your wrist and a tiny version of Havocs head peeked out from under your sleeve, startling Eddie as Havoc bared a small mouthful of bristling teeth. It was probably supposed to be intimidating, but she looked more like a kitten trying to be scary than anything else.

**We are scary.**

_Not when you look like a noodle._

You dropped Eddie’s hand and silence descended. Pulling out one of the bars of chocolate, you broke off a piece and offered it to Eddie as you bit into the rest of it, trying to chew slowly despite every instinct telling you to stuff it in your face. You had almost finished the bar when Eddie spoke again.

“So how’d she find you?”

“Huh?”

He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Y’know, Havoc. How’d you guys meet?”

“Oh.” _Well it certainly wasn’t much fun._

**I disagree.**

_Well of course you do, moron. You weren’t the one who’s body got hijacked._

**You are being ungrateful. At least we didn’t eat you.**

You rolled your eyes, realizing you hadn’t answered Eddie’s question. “She attacked me in an alleyway. Last night, actually.” It was almost comical how wide his eyes got.

“You’ve only been together for a day? You don’t feel sick or anything?”

“Sick? Um, I do feel kind of weird, but that’s pretty much it.”

Eddie was silent, a puzzlement knitting his brows as he stared at the ground. “Maybe it just hasn’t hit yet. When Vee and I first met, I ended up puking my guts out. Felt like the flu, but ten times worse. Vee says it was my body trying to get rid of him because it thought he was some kind of virus or parasite-ow!” He looked annoyed as he slapped at his neck where a tiny bite mark had appeared. “Sorry, he’s sensitive about that word. It hurts his feelings, or some shit.”

You snorted. “Yeah, Havoc doesn’t like it either.”

“Anyway, it took a day or two for things to get bad for me, and if you’ve only been together for a day…”

“So what you’re saying is that I’ll probably end up sick.” _Well that’s something fun to look forward to._

He nodded thoughtfully. “I don’t know. I mean, you’re a lot younger than me so maybe your body will adjust faster. Just avoid lobster tanks for a while.”

“…what?”

He grimaced. “Don’t ask.”

“Okay.” You absentmindedly tore open another bar of chocolate, handing him half and trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling growing in your stomach.

_Why didn’t you tell me about getting sick?_

**I didn’t know it was unusual. My previous hosts were not properly compatible to begin with, so discomfort for both of us was to be expected.**

_Oh. That makes sense, I guess._

You opened your mouth to question Eddie further, but all that came out was a high-pitched whine as a sharp pain lanced through your stomach. You folded like a bad chair, gritting your teeth to stifle a groan as you wrapped your arms around your middle, trying to draw in breath through the pain.

_PERFECT timing._

A hand rubbed your back, grounding you slightly. “Hey, you’re okay, just-just take a deep breath or something.”

“TAKE A DEEP BREATH!? It feels like my insides are being ripped out!”

You gritted your teeth, shaking his hand off your back and forcing yourself to stand on shaky legs as sweat broke out all over your body.

_Need to get out of here. Now._

A wave of nausea hit and put an end to that plan as you doubled over, half-digested chocolate joining the garbage against the curb. You squeezed your eyes shut and covered your ears, the daylight suddenly too bright and the traffic sounds cutting through your head like a knife through butter. Havoc muttering and squirming unpleasantly in your chest didn’t help either and you let out a pained whimper, wishing it would all just STOP.

Eddie was saying something, but you were too focused on trying not to throw up again to notice. It took a few minutes, but the pain eased slightly, going from ‘I’m walking on legos’ to ‘I’m only burning in the pits of hell’. Relieved, you took a shuddering breath and caught the tail end of what he was saying.

“-place to stay?”

You spat out a glob of phlegm, wincing at the sour aftertaste. “What?”

Eddie scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Do you uh, have somewhere to stay? You’re probably gonna feel like shit for the next couple days, and I have a couch.”

“Um…” You wavered, wondering if it was worth the pitying looks to tell the truth, then decided against it. “I-yeah, yeah, I’m staying with a friend.”

Eddie looked skeptical but nodded. “Okay, well if you-Vee, don’t-” he cut off, eyes flashing black for a moment as he twitched and went unnaturally still.

He looked at you accusingly, and it was obvious Eddie wasn’t in the drivers seat anymore. “YOU ARE LYING.”

“I’m not.” The ground suddenly decided to switch places with the wall and you stumbled, caught only when Havoc manifested on your calf, attaching to the ground and pulling you upright. A wave of annoyance followed from Havoc as she left her spot in your chest, flooding through your limbs under your skin and taking the reins.

“I DO NOT KNOW WHY SHE IS LYING, BUT WE ACCEPT YOUR OFFER OF SHELTER.”

“GOOD.” Eddie started walking away and Havoc followed, leaving you an unwilling passenger in your own body.

_No! We can’t stay in some random guy’s house!_

**They are not a ‘random guy’. They are like us, the only others like us in the world, and perhaps they will be able to help us get through this adjustment without damaging your fragile human flesh any more than necessary.**

_…fine._

You didn’t have the energy to keep arguing, and let yourself zone out for most of the walk. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thank you all so much for sticking with this story, it means so much when someone leaves a comment or kudos. I’d like to apologize in advance for this chapter. I had a decidedly uninspired week and really struggled to write anything. I’m not happy with how it turned out, and I’ll probably go back and edit it, but I wanted to post something.  
> Thank you again for reading, I love you all! <3


	6. I'm Trying to be Serious, I Swear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I feel awful about not updating for almost a month, and I’m so sorry. I’ve been in a bad place mentally for a while, and it was really hard to write anything. I’m back now, and hopefully updates will go back to being regular. :)  
> Thank you all for being patient, I love every single one of you. <3

Havoc didn’t relinquish control till you stepped into the tiny apartment, where you immediately made a run for the bathroom and proceeded to hurl whatever was left in your stomach. Not much came up, but you stayed there for a minute as your stomach settled and the queasiness came down to a manageable level.

You wiped your mouth, sitting back and gratefully accepting a glass of water from Eddie to wash away the sour taste in your mouth.

“How are you feeling?”

“Well…” you paused, taking stock of your body. “My eyebrows and left pinky don’t hurt. That’s about it.”

He snorted. “Glad to see you’ve still got some sarcasm in you.”

**Why would our eyebrows hurt?**

_It’s… it was a joke._

**Humans.** You got a vaguely disgusted flash of emotion. **Always finding more ways to complicate things.**

You were startled out of your silent conversation when Eddie cleared his throat. “Not to imply anything, but you’re welcome to use my shower if you want.”

“Oh god, YES.” Your shirt was sticking to you unpleasantly under your jacket, and your hair was so greasy you could have probably styled it without gel.

…………

You may or may not have teared up a little out of happiness when you stepped into the spray, leaning against the wall and closing your eyes as warmth cascaded down your back. You stayed there for a moment, utterly content as the grime of the streets swirled down the drain.

There was the now-familiar pulling feeling from your back, and you were proud to say you only flinched a little when a smaller version of Havoc’s head appeared in your peripheral vision. You stayed where you were, watching curiously as she cautiously poked her head under the water.

Goosebumps prickled over you when she shivered happily, mouth open and tongue lolling out as she caught drops of water. It was adorable in the weirdest way possible. Like a cat. If cats didn’t hate water.

**We like this. What do you call it?**

“You’ve never been in a shower?” Amusement curled the corners of your lips, but you did your best to restrain a laugh. Best not to offend the thing with enough teeth to keep a dentist happy for a solid decade.

**No. But we like this... shower. It is warm. Like being inside you.**

You inhaled water and choked.

“Uh, yeah,” you said when the last of the water had been expelled from your lungs. “It’s definitely one of humanity’s better inventions. Right up there with pop-tarts and memes.”

**What is a meme? Can we eat it? It sounds exotic.**

You were about to answer when Eddie knocked on the door. “Hey (y/n), I forgot to mention it earlier but if you want to wash your clothes you’re welcome to. An-” he cleared his throat. “Um, a friend of mine left some sweatpants and a couple t-shirts here, I think they’ll fit you. I’ll leave them outside the door.”

“Okay, thanks.” Ducking your head back under the spray, foamy globs of shampoo streamed from your hair as you winced, nausea curling through your stomach. You shook it off and feeling cleaner than you had in ages, you stepped out of the shower with a billow of steam only to stop dead in your tracks, barely managing to restrain a shocked scream as you stared wide-eyed at your reflection.

Where your face should be, Havoc’s was staring back at you instead, unholy grin widening at your reaction. Disbelieving, you poked your cheek and were surprised to feel skin and not the smooth texture of whatever goop she was made out of. “So, uh, any particular reason why I look like you?”

**Your body has not accepted me fully. And it is amusing how easy is to frighten you.**

“Really?” You huffed, bending over and toweling your hair dry. “You practically gave me a heart attack just for the laughs?”

**We are in no danger of heart failure. And yes. We did it ‘just for the laughs’.**

“You’re a butt-head.”

**…a what?**

You straightened up, placing your hands on your hips and looking squarely at Havoc in the mirror. “You heard me.”

**We are not a butt-head!**

You grinned a little at how indignant she sounded. “You are too. It’s rude to scare people, and you scared me so that makes you a butt-head.”

She made a sound of disgust. **You humans have no sense of humor.**

“We do too, we just don’t usually enjoy getting the shit scared out of us.”

**Then why do you watch frightening movies and leap from aircraft?**

“I-” You paused, one leg partway into a pair of grey sweatpants. “Y’know, you’ve got me there. Fine,” you continued, stepping your other leg in and tying the drawstrings, grimacing as your stomach cramped angrily. “I guess I don’t have a sense of humor.”

 **See?** You could feel her smug grin and you rolled your eyes, tugging on a baggy t-shirt.

You grabbed your dirty clothes, wadding them up as you walked into the kitchen where Eddie was standing at the stove with his back to you, stirring something and talking to Venom who was sprouting from his shoulder. They hadn’t noticed you yet, and you were starting to wonder if you should say something, when Eddie leaned forward and gave Venom a peck on the forehead.

You blinked, clearing your throat awkwardly. Eddie spun around, and Venom, apparently distracted, didn’t duck in time and face-planted on the cabinet with a wet splat.

 **Well.** Havoc gave an amused chuckle as she emerged from your back with a tingle. “THIS _IS_ A SURPRISE. YOU HAVE _FEELINGS_ FOR EDDIE?”

Venom peeled himself off the cabinet, looping black tendrils protectively around the neck of his blushing host. “YES, WE LOVE EDDIE.”

He licked a long stripe up Eddie’s cheek. While locking narrowed eyes with you. All parties involved were uncomfortable.

Except Venom, who continued to nuzzle Eddie’s face like a gooey cat. “WE HAVE A SURPRISING NUMBER OF THINGS IN COMMON. BEING AN OUTCAST AMONG OUR OWN KIND, OUR SHARED… LOSERNESS. HIM MORE THAN ME ON THE LAST ONE.”

“Hey!”

“IT’S TRUE.”

“Whatever.”

“Holy crap that smells amazing,” you broke in, gesturing towards the stove. “Is that hot cocoa?”

“Yeah. The real kind, not the mix. Venom loves the stuff, so I figured your, um, Havoc would like it too. Vee’s not too happy about sharing though. Even though he’s-” he poked Venom, drawing an annoyed growl from the symbiote-“not the one who pays for it.”

You smiled at the friendly banter. “You two sound like an old married couple.”

“NOT OLD, BUT WE ARE MARRIED.”

“Wait, whAT!?” There was a clatter as Eddie dropped the hot cocoa spoon on the floor, mouth opening and closing like a confused goldfish. “When-when exactly did this happen!? I mean, I love you and stuff but-”

You could sense Havoc’s amused curiosity, and you pulled out a chair to watch Eddie bicker with his space pudding (and now apparently) husband.

“WHEN WE FIRST JOINED. I TOLD YOU YOU WERE MINE, WHAT DID YOU THINK IT MEANT?”

“Well I-uh, I thought…” he waved his hands vaguely. “I thought it was just you being… generally possessive and stuff. Y’know, how you normally are.”

“EDDIE. WE LOVE YOU EVEN MORE THAN WE LOVE EATING HEADS, BUT YOU ARE AN UTTER MORON.”

The smell of the chocolate was driving you nuts, so you slipped behind the bickering Eddie and Venom, pulling a chipped #1 Reporter mug out of a cupboard and filling it with frothy, rich goodness. And on second thought you poured another cup and walked back to the table, placing one in front of Eddie and sipping from yours.

Almost as soon as you set it down, Venom froze, then whipped around and basically frenched the mug.

“Aw, c’mon man, that’s just gross.” Eddie looked disgusted.

“If you promise not to make out with it, Havoc,” you said, setting your drink on the table and still snickering at Eddie, “You can have some.”

“THANK YOU.”

She extended her head, shrinking to about the diameter of your wrist and delicately slurping at the drink.

“Y’see Vee,” Eddie said, gesturing to Havoc. “That’s a symbiote with manners.”

You let out a really ugly snort-laugh when Venom lifted his head, a ring of chocolate around his toothy smile.

“SHE MAY BE TIDY, BUT AT LEAST WE DON’T HAVE A STICK SO FAR UP OUR ASS THAT WE CANT ENJOY THINGS.”

Havoc bristled, Eddie facepalmed and Venom waved his head and tendrils in a way that was probably supposed to be threatening or mocking, but actually looked more like one of those flappy tube guys you see outside car dealerships. But with a chocolate mustache.

“So Eddie,” you said, ignoring Havoc as she extended a tendril and flipped Venom the bird, much to his offense. “How did you two run into each other?”

He chuckled wryly. “Well, uh, it all started like, six months ago when I decided to commit to a life of crime by snooping on my girlfriend’s laptop…” He went on from there, telling you about Drake, the rocket, Riot, all of it. “So I’m confused, how do you not know about this stuff already? Most of it was on tv and shit.”

“Well, I’ve been kind of… preoccupied. Paying attention to the news wasn’t very important.” You took a steadying breath, pushing down the rock working it’s way into your throat. “My dad died a year and a half ago. And my-my mom didn’t take it well.”

Taking a warming sip of cocoa, you were surprised to feel the soft, warm goo of Havoc weaving between your fingers, applying a comforting pressure.

**Thanks.**

There was an answering squeeze, and you cleared your throat, bolstered by her unexpected support and the patient look on Eddie’s face.

“He was driving me home from a friends house, and we got hit by a drunk college student running a red light. He died on impact, and instead of following him, some asshole in the sky decided I’d be the one to live, costing my mom thousands of dollars. It was okay for a while, she was just really cold and distant. I’m not sure what changed, but she kicked me out a couple months ago. Said she never wanted to see me again. Amongst other…things.”

“Shit, that really sucks.”

“It’s fine,” you shrugged. “I’m pretty resourceful.”

“Shouldn’t have to be though.”

You shrugged noncommittally. Eddie looked like he wanted to say more, but instead sat back, looking thoughtful. You sat quietly together for a few more minutes, watching Venom try to shove his entire tongue into his mug to get the last few drops of cocoa.

He failed.

The mug payed the ultimate price.

“Dammit Vee,” Edie huffed, getting up and retrieving a broom and dustpan. “We talked about this. You can’t just eat our dishes when they make you mad.”

Venom just muttered and licked porcelain shards out from between his teeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendship Level 2: Reached.  
> Tragic Backstory: Unlocked.
> 
>  
> 
> Sorry there wasn’t much plot happening, I’ll probably come back and edit the heck out of this later on. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Key:  
> Reader thoughts: in italics  
> Symbiote mentally speaking: in bold  
> Symbiote speaking aloud: ALL CAPS (if reader yells or anything, I’ll do my best to make it clear exactly who is speaking. If it’s confusing, let me know.)
> 
> So yeah, here we are. I've joined this fandom and I’m never looking back. ;) I’ve never read the comics, so please don’t kill me if something is weird or if I get something wrong. (But if it’s something important, feel free to let me know.)
> 
> I’ll be updating every Wedneday, probably in the evening. Thank you so, so much for reading this. Seriously, it absolutely makes my day when I see someone left a comment or kudos, you guys are awesome and I love you all! :)


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